APUSH unit 5 terms pt. 1

Manifest Destiny

Manifest Destiny

A 19th-century belief prevalent among Americans that the United States was destined to expand across the North American continent, from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.

Due process law

A legal principle that ensures fair treatment and protection of individual rights under the law. It guarantees that legal proceedings will be carried out in a just and orderly manner, and that individuals will be given notice and the opportunity to be heard before the government can deprive them of life, liberty, or property.

Panic of 1873

A severe economic depression that originated in the United States and quickly spread to other parts of the world. It was triggered by the collapse of several prominent banks and the failure of numerous businesses, leading to a prolonged period of economic downturn and high unemployment rates.

Oregon Territory

A region in the Pacific Northwest of North America that was originally jointly occupied by the United States and Great Britain. The Oregon Territory encompassed the area that is now the states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, as well as parts of Montana and Wyoming.

"Fifty-Four Forty or Fight"

A slogan used during the 1844 presidential campaign by James K. Polk, advocating for the expansion of the United States' territory northward into the Oregon Country, up to the southern boundary of Russian Alaska at 54°40′ north latitude.

Webster-Ashburton Treaty

A treaty signed in 1842 between the United States and Great Britain, which established the northeastern boundary between the United States and the British North American colonies (now Canada). It resolved several border issues and contributed to a peaceful relationship between the two nations.

Foreign Commerce

Trade and business activities involving the exchange of goods and services between different countries or nations. It encompasses the import and export of products, as well as various international financial transactions and investments.

Kanagawa Treaty

Also known as the Treaty of Kanagawa, it was a treaty signed in 1854 between the United States and Japan. It marked the end of Japan's 200-year-old policy of isolationism and established formal diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Mexican American War

A conflict fought between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848, resulting in the annexation of significant Mexican territories by the United States, including California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming.

Bear Flag Republic

A short-lived, unrecognized independent state that existed for a few weeks in 1846 in the area of California. It was established by American settlers in Sonoma who revolted against Mexican rule.

Carpetbaggers

A term used to describe Northerners who moved to the South during the Reconstruction era (1865-1877) following the American Civil War. They were often perceived as exploiting the political and economic instability of the Southern states for personal gain.

Mexican Cession

The land ceded to the United States by Mexico in 1848, following the end of the Mexican-American War. This territory included present-day California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming.

Ostend Manifesto (1852)

A document drafted by American diplomats in Ostend, Belgium, proposing the purchase of Cuba from Spain. It suggested that the United States should acquire the island by any means necessary, including military intervention, if Spain refused to sell it.

Walker Expedition

A series of military campaigns and attempts at filibustering conducted by American William Walker during the mid-19th century, with the goal of establishing English-speaking colonies in Latin America, particularly in Nicaragua and other Central American countries.

Reconstruction

A period in United States history following the Civil War (1865-1877) during which the federal government attempted to address the issues of readmitting the Southern states into the Union, rebuilding the Southern economy, and integrating newly freed slaves into society.

Compromise of 1850

A series of legislative measures passed by the United States Congress in an attempt to resolve the territorial and slavery controversies arising from the Mexican-American War. The compromise was intended to maintain the balance between slave and free states.

"Bleeding Kansas"

A term used to describe the violent conflicts that took place in Kansas between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions during the mid-1850s. The struggles in Kansas were a prelude to the American Civil War and were a result of the Kansas-Nebraska Act's provision for popular sovereignty in determining the issue of slavery in new territories.

Lecompton Constitution

A proposed pro-slavery constitution in Kansas that was drafted in 1857. It was highly controversial because it protected the rights of slaveholders and excluded the rights of free African Americans. The document was eventually rejected by Congress, leading to further tensions over the issue of slavery.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

A law passed by the United States Congress in 1854 that created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska and allowed the settlers in those territories to decide the issue of slavery through popular sovereignty, leading to significant tensions and conflicts over the expansion of slavery in the United States.

Know-Nothing Party

Also known as the American Party, it was a political movement in the mid-19th century that operated on a platform of anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic sentiment. The party aimed to limit the influence of immigrants, especially those from Catholic countries, on American politics and society.

Civil Rights Act of 1875

A United States federal law enacted during the Reconstruction era that aimed to guarantee equal treatment in public accommodations and public transportation and prohibited exclusion from jury service based on race.

Dred Scott v. Sandford

A landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court in 1857 that ruled that people of African descent, whether enslaved or free, were not United States citizens and therefore could not sue in federal court. The decision also declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional, thus intensifying the national debate over the issue of slavery.

Lincoln-Douglas Debate

A series of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas, held in 1858 during the Illinois senatorial election. The debates centered on the issue of slavery and popular sovereignty, with Lincoln gaining national recognition for his arguments against the expansion of slavery.

Abraham Lincoln

The 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln is best known for his leadership during the American Civil War and his efforts to preserve the Union, as well as for his role in the abolition of slavery through the Emancipation Proclamation and the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment.

Freeport Doctrine

A statement made by Stephen A. Douglas during the Lincoln-Douglas debates in 1858, in which he asserted that slavery could not exist in a territory if the local residents did not pass and enforce laws protecting it. This position was at odds with the pro-slavery stance of the Dred Scott decision and the Southern Democrats.

John Brown

An American abolitionist who advocated and practiced armed insurrection as a means to end slavery. He is best known for his raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), in 1859, which further heightened tensions between the Northern and Southern states prior to the American Civil War.

Constitutional Union Party

A short-lived political party in the United States that emerged in the presidential election of 1860. Comprising former Whigs and Know-Nothings, the party aimed to preserve the Union by avoiding the issue of slavery and advocating for the Constitution and the rule of law.

Crittenden Compromise

A series of proposed constitutional amendments introduced by Senator John J. Crittenden of Kentucky in an attempt to resolve the secession crisis in the United States before the outbreak of the Civil War. The compromise aimed to extend the Missouri Compromise line to the Pacific Ocean and protect slavery in the Southern states.

Fort Sumter

A federal fort located in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina, that was the site of the opening engagement of the American Civil War in April 1861. The Confederate forces attacked the fort, which was held by Union troops, leading to its surrender and the beginning of the Civil War.

Morrill Tariff Act

A protective tariff passed by the United States Congress in 1861, shortly before the outbreak of the Civil War. The act significantly increased import duties on various goods, aiming to protect Northern industries and generate revenue for the federal government.

Pacific Railway Act

A series of congressional acts passed in 1862 and 1864 that authorized the construction of a transcontinental railroad across the United States. The act provided federal government support, including land grants and loans, for the construction of the railroad, which was completed in 1869.

Homestead Act (1862)

A United States federal law that granted 160 acres of public land to any American citizen or intended citizen who declared their intention to become a U.S. citizen, provided they improved the land by building a dwelling and cultivating it for five years.

Emancipation Proclamation

An executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War. The proclamation declared that all enslaved people in the Confederate states were to be set free. While it did not immediately free all slaves, it fundamentally altered the purpose of the Civil War, making the abolition of slavery a central goal.

Copperheads

A group of Northern Democrats who opposed the American Civil War and wanted an immediate peace settlement with the Confederates. They were critical of President Lincoln and the Union's war policies, often being accused of undermining the Union's war efforts.

Reconstruction Amendments

A series of amendments to the United States Constitution ratified during the Reconstruction era following the Civil War. These include the Thirteenth Amendment (abolishing slavery), the Fourteenth Amendment (granting citizenship and equal protection under the law to all persons born or naturalized in the United States), and the Fifteenth Amendment (prohibiting the denial of voting rights based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude).